Steam-engine.



J. C. GLENN.

STEAM ENGINE. APPLICATION IILED IEB. I6. IsIIs.

I 131351" u (y 7l W44 E? v I Patented Jan. 14, 1919.

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"seat e ffm JOHN C. GLENN, 0F ERL, PENNSYLVANIA.

STEAM-ENGINE.

Application tiled February 16, 1918.

To U whom. it Imay concern:

Be it known that I, Join.Y C. GLENN, a citizen of the llnited States` residing at llrie. in the county ot Erie and State of lennsylvaiiim have inventedcertain new and uset'ul Improvements in Steam-Engines; and l do hereby declare the following to be a lull. clear, and exact description of the invention. lsuch as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters` of reference mai-lied thereon, forming part, of this specification.

My invention relates to steam engines, and particularly to that class thereofl knownas uni-flow engines, and consists in providing certain clearance chamber mechanism by means of which a sutlicient cle: 'ance is automatically provided when the engine is not. used in association with a condenser.

'l`he features` ol appli iantfs invention are hereinafter t'ully described'and pointed out, and are. illusti'ated in the. accompanying drawings in which Figure l, is a plan view partially iii elevation and partially in section showing my invention installed thereon.

Fig. :2, is a fragment-ary transverse section o1' the. same on the line www in Fie: l,

ln these drawings indicates an engine cylinder having inlet valve housings A A at the ends` thereof which communicate in the usual manner (not shown) with the interior ot the cylinder, and central piston coiitrolled exhaust ports a, which communicate through the cylinder wall into the usual exhaust. belt AL. B indicates the piston therein. and l indicates the piston-rod; G indicates a clearance chamber on the side of the cylinder which communicates with the interior ol the cylinder A, by means ot' a valve controlled opening C. To close this opening C l provide a valve D which is adapted to seat against a valve-seat. (Z around thc. outer end ot the opening C. The valve l) is provided with a stein 1) which projects outwardlyv through a, cover plate ll, on the inner side ot which there is a boss lil which projects into the clearance chaniber C, and is provided on its inner end with a valveagainst which the rear side ol the* valve, l) will seat when the valye l.) is opened as hereinafter described, so as to prevent any leakage aro-und the valve-stein ll.

For operating and controlling the valve D .specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. le, MME.

Serial No. 217,633.

1 provide a cylinder F which I preferably secure against Vthe exhaust belt A2, and which communicates therewith through the opening;l and within the cylinder F I place a piston l". On the cover-plate E are ears o e in which is pivotcd a levei G, and pivoted to said lever and said piston 'F' is a link-bar (l. The lever is provided with a camsarin (l2 which engages the end of the valve-stem D so that when the engine is operating in association with a condenser, in the manner in which condensers are usually operated, the partial vacuum maintained in the condenser is communicated to the, exhaust pipe H, exhaust belt A and opening y", to the cylinder '9, and operates to draw the pistons in said cylinder to the middle` portion of said cylinder l", which, through the link-bars actuate the camarins (l2 to torce the valves D against the valve-seats J, and thereby close the opening C from the cylinder into the clearance chamber C, as when the engine is operated in such a manner the partial vacuum is also communicated to thc interior of the cylinder when the ports (t are uncovered by the piston l, thereby reducing the pressure in that end of the cylinder A below atmospheric prcs sure, so thatl the return movement of the piston B will not. cause an undue compression therein.

Now should the partial vacuum in the condenser, and consequently in the exhaust pipo ll and exhaust belt A2, be lost, asis the case when the power plant hasbeen conipletely shut down, and the engine is started, the pressure of the exhaust steam in the exhaust belt A2, communicated through the opening into the cylinder F, `will operate the pistons li" outwardly, and thereby, through the link-bars G and levers G allow the valves D to be forced open by the comu pression caused within the cylinder i'i by the return i'noveinent et the piston lh so that the `fluid thus compressed may escape into the. chaniber C, and as the valve D remains open as long as the condenser is out ot operation, tlie fluid compressed ,into the clearance chamber C can llow back'tlirough the opening C, when the piston B moves {orward and uncovers the exhaust ports ay to that end of the cylinder. ',lo increase the ilo-w ot the compressed 'fluid .trom the ctearance chamber C baci( vinto the cylinder A, 't' irovide a cylinder J which communicates with the clearance chamber C, and wit-iiif fluid 'from inward movement of 'the piston J', and l provide a leak duct j', so that Acompressed duid may ilow inward to the annular shoulder during the period of compression, and

gradually escape therefrom when the compression is released, and thereby cushion the inward movement of the piston il. Behind thepiston il in the cylinder J ll provide a suitable resilient means to resist the outward movement of the piston'd, and for this purpose I preferably use a spring vK, and a screw K', mounted, 1n the cover K2 et the cylinder J, by means of which the pressure behind the piston J may be regulated. The operation of the piston J is such that when the valve D is opened, as herein- 'before described, and luid is forced through the opening@ into the clearance chamber C, the piston d" will be forced outwardly the cylinderdl and uponthe release of #the pressure by the uncovering of the exhaast ports a the counter pressure behind the piston v. (,Wll force the piston J inward Vthereby forcing luidin the chamber C' back into the cylinder A. This return lowof the chamber C into 'the cylinder will commence as soon as the pressure in tnecylinder Afbecomes less than in the y chamber C. As' soon as the condenser again begins to Jiyork and a partial vacuum is therefrom tothe cylinagaln communicated Will be closed and the der l?, the vvalves D clearance cham er() will, for the time being cease to be. operative. llayingfthus described my invention, and illustrated suitable mechanism for embodyrecieve out departing from the scope of my invention.

rlherefore what l claim as new and desire. to secure by Letters Patentisr l. The combination with a uniillow engine, of an engine cylinder, a clearance chamber thereon, an opening from the interior of. said cylinder to said chamber, a valve to control said opening, a'stem'on said "alve, a cam-lever engaging said stem. a cylinder communicating with exhaust of said engine, a piston in said cylinder, and a link-bar connecting said piston and said cam-lever, substantially' as set forth.

2. 'llhe combination with a uni-flow engine, of'a clearance chamber, a cylinder in communication therewith, a piston in said cylinder, and elastic means to force said piston toward saidchamber, substantially `as setforth.

3. The combination with a uni-flow engine. of a clearance chamber, a cylinder in communication with said chamber, a piston in said chamber, a spring behind said piston to force the same inwardly, and means to adjust the pressure ot' said spring, tially as set forth.

lLl. The combination with a uni-How engine, of a clearance chamber, a cylinder in communication therewith, a piston in said cylinder, means `to cushion the inward movement of said piston, and elastic means behind said piston to force the saine toward said chamber, substantially as set forth.

JOHN C. GLENN.

construction shown and de,-v 

